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Petra Marklund
Petra Linnea Paula Marklund is a Swedish dance singer. She was born September 12th, 1984 in Stockholm (Sweden) and is better known by her artist name "September". The reason she chose this name is that her parents called her a September child! Besides singer Petra, the main team consists of producer/songwriter Jonas von der Burg and songwriters Niclas von der Burg and Anoo Bhagavan (with Niclas, Anoo, and Jeanette von der Burg singing backing vocals at times). Petra writes music herself, but she likes the fact that September enables her to focus entirely on the singing. Petra was still in high school when Jonas, Niclas and Anoo approached her, looking for just the right unique voice that could lift their tunes to something that would move people on, as well as outside of, the dance floor. When the four first met up, Petra mostly sang jazz. Today, it's her dark, soulful voice in combination with high quality hit songs that makes the trademark September sound. You'll definitely be dancing. But at the same time, you'll ache. Just a bit. "September" At the age of 17, Petra sang in a rock band and gained a record deal at Stockholm Records. The first singles "La La La (Never Give It Up" and "We Can Do It" peaked high on the Swedish charts. The debut album "September" was released on February 11th, 2004. The third and final single off this album, "September All Over", was released one week after the album. Sweden's new talent had had her first hits! "In Orbit" The second album "In Orbit" was released in Sweden on May 31st, 2005. Petra was from now on signed to another label: Catchy Tunes. The first single off this album, "Satellites", can be seen as one of Petra's biggest hits, as it charted in over seven countries (including Germany, the US, and the UK) and peaked at #8 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay! Petra has since then been performing all over the world. "Looking For Love", the second single off the album, hit the charts too, but did not become as big as "Satellites". The follow-up single - a ballad - "Flowers On The Grave" did not chart at all. "It Doesn't Matter", a radio only single, drew some attention in Poland, Russia, and Romania, where it became a hit. "Cry For You" The fifth and final single off the second album was released in Sweden on November 29th, 2006, with releases in the US and the Netherlands following in 2007. "Cry For You" is September's biggest hit to date. It peaked very high on the charts in over fifteen countries! It reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay and peaked at #6 in Sweden. Petra: Being #1 on Billboard was fun mainly because it proved that people really appreciate what we're doing. It was released in the UK in 2008, under Hard2Beat Records, becoming a huge success again. For this UK release, a new mix by Dave Ramone was used by radio stations, and a new video was filmed (directed by Johny Mourgue). Together, both original and UK videos have been watched over 30 million times on YouTube. And as of November 2010, the single sold over 500.000 copies in the US, certifying it gold. It's the first Swedish single to achieve this certification in the US since 1998! "Dancing Shoes" Late 2007, September released "Dancing Shoes", her 3rd album. It peaked at #12 in Sweden, and #19 in Poland. While making "Dancing Shoes", Petra, Jonas, Niclas, and Anoo really found their way of working together. By then, they all knew each other incredibly well, and always got inspired by the others' ideas. Petra: "Dancing Shoes" is probably a bit more crazy than "In Orbit". I've been much more open about my own visions on this record, and so have the others. Petra: This time, I've really tried to enter each song in a different way. I've even sung quite badly here and there, almost out of tune, if it felt necessary for the song. Petra (laughing): I've never seen Jonas this addicted to working. It's almost been scary to watch him! The first single off this album was "Can't Get Over", which became a hit in Sweden, the US and the Netherlands in 2007/2008. It was released as the third single in the UK in 2009, peaking at #14. "Until I Die" followed. It was released in Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands, peaking at #5, #91, and #2 respectively. It flopped in the Netherlands, due to no promotion. The final single off the album was "Because I Love You". It peaked at #43 in Sweden, not becoming a big success. It flopped in the Netherlands as well. "Cry For You - The Album" Dave Ramone, one of those responsible for the succes of "Cry For You" in the UK, remixed old hits for Petra's UK debut album "Cry For You - The Album" (including the good old classics "We Can Do It" and "September All Over"). He also did a remix for "Until I Die", which was to be released on July 27, 2009 as the fourth UK single. Promos had been sent out, a new video edit had been made, and tracklistings for CD singles had been published - the single was ready for release, but then got cancelled. Rumours suggest Hard2Beat scrapped the release as the song failed to make it to BBC Radio 1's playlist. Less than two weeks later the CD and 12" vinyl versions of the album were cancelled too, remaining only the digital download. Cancelling these releases disappointed a lot of fans. The new mixes for "Until I Die" were made available digitally in Australia, after all. "Love CPR" The 2011 studio album "Love CPR" was released digitally in Sweden on Valentine's Day (February 14th), with the physical version released two days later. It was released in the US, with different cover art, on July 5th. While making the album, Petra has beside working with her main team, also been working with big names of the likes of StoneBridge (Sten Hallström), Lucas Secon, Cutfather (Mich Hansen), Wayne Hector, and JS16 (Jaakko Salovaara). The first single off this album, "Resuscitate Me", was released in Sweden on November 19th, 2010. Late 2010, Petra participated in the successful Swedish TV show Så Mycket Bättre. The participants, Swedish musicians, sang each others songs. Petra's cover of Petter's "Mikrofonkåt" became an unexpected success - a bigger success than "Resuscitate Me" had been. Due to this success, an English version of the song was recorded: "Me & My Microphone". It's been released around the world with remixes by Alex Lamb, Kenny Hayes, Casado & Daif, and others. The follow-up single "Party In My Head" was released in Sweden, the US, and the Netherlands. Upcoming studio album Rumours suggest September is working on a new - completely Swedish! - studio album. Follow the news items on septemberfans.wordpress.com for updates!